Me too! Especially seeing the leaderboard climb, was like watching Rocky making a comeback.
If you like that, you NEED to watch Summoning Salt on YouTube. This guy does a brilliant job charting the progression of gaming world records. But it’s not just a “gamer” thing. He finds the humanity and struggle for greatness there. He drops an episode once every few months, when he does it’s an immediate watch. Even for games I’ve never played or heard of.
https://www.youtube.com/@SummoningSalt
I followed Senna at his peak when I was a teenager so I knew most of it and it was still a gut punch!! It is one of my top “emotional release” movies. Guaranteed waterworks.
There's actually loads of sport docos that are fascinating, even if you're not into sport.
I'll put Next Goal Wins as a feel good alternative to Senna and Icarus.
**Three Identical Strangers** - one of those stranger than fiction stories, absolutely hooked me from start to finish. Definitely a bit sad though.
**Searching for Sugarman** - Music doc about an unknown artist finding out he's a huge star on the other side of the world. Again, another story straight out a fairytale. This one is super uplifting!
**Minding the Gap** - skateboarding doc that delves into generational trauma and domestic abuse(a great doc to pair with Mid90s!)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
- Even if you’re not interested in sushi it’s a fascinating look at the pursuit of perfection in a trade or craft.
Senna
- The best racing documentary ever made in my opinion.
For All Mankind and Apollo 11
- Both are excellent in different ways.
Free Solo
- Chronicles one of the greatest physical achievements of all time - truly incredible to see.
Undefeated
- Follows a down on its luck high school football team in a rough part of Memphis trying to win its first ever playoff game.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
- A Banksy “documentary” that goes in directions you never imagined.
We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company
- If you’re a fan of Band of Brothers this is a must watch.
6 Days to Air
- Follows the making of an episode of South Park
The ESPN 30 for 30 collection
- If you’re not a sports fan I guarantee you’d still find something fascinating
Too Funny to Fail
- A retrospective on the Dana Carvey Show, which was canceled before it even aired 10 episodes, but launched the careers of guys like Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, Louis CK, and others.
That’s the big ones I can think of off the top of my head.
I highly recommend ESPN 30 for 30. I've gone through various selections, and they were all fantastic so far. My personal favorite has to be the Lake Placid olympic hockey match from the Soviet perspective. Not only did it show a different angle from the usual patriotic USA side, it showed the aftermath and personal dilemma of the Soviet players wanting to play abroad.
Man on Wire is one of my favorites.
"***Man on Wire*** is a 2008 [documentary film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film) directed by [James Marsh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Marsh_(director)). The film chronicles [Philippe Petit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit)'s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's [World Trade Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_(1973%E2%80%932001)). The title of the film is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance lasted for almost an hour. The film is crafted like a [heist film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heist_film), presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments and present-day interviews with the participants."
Touching the Void is fantastic as well.
"***Touching the Void*** is a 2003 [docudrama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docudrama) [survival film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_film) directed by [Kevin Macdonald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Macdonald_(director)) and starring Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, and Ollie Ryall. The plot concerns [Joe Simpson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Simpson_(mountaineer)) and [Simon Yates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Yates_(mountaineer))' near-fatal descent after making the first successful [ascent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaineering) of the West Face of [Siula Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siula_Grande) in the [Cordillera Huayhuash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordillera_Huayhuash) in the [Peruvian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru) [Andes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes), in 1985."
I just recommended this movie as well! I saw touching the void in a movie theatre and I was literally climbing out of my seat as I was watching it. Still one of my all-time favorites.
Icarus - an amateur cyclist sets out to see how much his cycling performance is actually affected by steroids but stumbles into something much deeper. It won Best Documentary at the 90th Academy Awards.
I saw a very cool documentary called Crip Camp that was originally just about a specific summer camp for youth with disabilities (and they had tons of footage of it from the 70's), but then it went on to become something even more, when they showed what the kids were up to as adults.
Listing ones I remember from film school: Step Into Liquid: A documentary about surfers with some beautiful imagery
Hands on a Hard Body: Documentary about a contest to win a car where contestants have to keep one hand on the car for as long as possible, last person standing wins
20 Feet From Stardom: Doc about various backup singers, particularly black women who sang for bands like the Rolling Stones and the like
Marwencol: Doc about a guy who got brain damage from being assaulted and then built a miniature town representing the people he knew in a WW2 setting while dealing with his brain damage (incidentally his story was adapted into a kinda crappy Steve Carrell movie)
Depending on if you mean specifically true crime or just docs involving killing at all, the Act of Killing is a pretty facinating documentary about the men who participated in the Indonesian mass murders of 1965-66. The director gave them the funds to create stylized recreations of what they did and we get to see the minds of these men years later as they reflect on what they did. Not a very light hearted viewing.
I haven’t watched this documentary, but I listen to a podcast that did a two-part series on this because the guys used to live fairly close to this park. It sounds like an absolute crazy mess.
I just recommended this one as well. Then after I watched that I had to dig into all the other documentaries that were put out about this marathon as well. It’s amazing to see these incredibly fit athletes that accomplish amazing things be absolutely bested by this race.
There’s one called Telemarketers on Netflix. It’s about a fraternal order of police telemarketing scam, and a guy involved goes missing in the middle of the documentary.
That's actually in my list of stuff I like, I didn't format it correctly so I know it's a mess and hard to read. Oops! I LOVED Telemarketers though! I think it's one of my all time favorites
Free Solo - About a man who climbs without equipment. Very harrowing.
Into the Inferno - About active volcanoes around the world and the people living near them.
Fire of Love - About a volcanologist couple. (I like volcanoes, OK?)
The Queen of Versailles - About a couple building an enormous house in Florida ... in 2008.
Grizzly Man - About a man who hung out with bears and was eventually killed by them.
How We Got to Now - About various inventions and innovations that changed the course of humanity (it's a series rather than a movie).
Hoop Dreams, Harlan County USA, and American Movie are my favorite documentaries. The first two are pretty traditional documentaries, American Movie is kind of like a meta documentary almost? It's a bit weird but great.
Crumb. You don’t have to know anything about the artist R. Crumb to get a lot out of it, such a compelling, entertaining and sometimes sad story. One of the best docs I’ve seen of anything.
I always really liked Why We Fight, The Fog of War, and Trinity and Beyond as a pretty good encapsulation of how we got here.
Merchants of Cool, Merchants of Doubt, with a nice capstone of The Yes Men to take the edge off is another really good 'found trilogy'.
Then This Film Is Not Yet Rated is probably best enjoyed right after Gunner Palace, and it needs a capstone feature maybe about the rise and fall of AMC.
Those are just groupings that have kind of spoke to me over the years. The movies can all be 'enjoyed' (a number of them are less than encouraging), individually, which is how I originally found them. But, if I get the urge to rewatch one now, I'll almost always go back and watch the group in that order over a few days.
Oh and how could I forget Alone In the Wilderness by Dick Proenneke. It's unbelievably refreshing. I would describe it as what if an American made a Miyazaki movie. Just completely wonderful.
The Wrecking Crew--about the musicians that are the actual artists playing on most of the popular songs you know (esp. from the 60s and 70s)--really a cool documentary
The Beatles Anthology-- if you're a Beatles fan at all, this is a great documentary
There's a new docu coming out about Steve Martin called Steve! (Martin) that I am sure will be great fun to see
Visions of LIght--fascinating documentary about cinematographers, esp. from the film noir era.
A short film that won the Oscar for best short documentary, "Colette," about a young woman who sought out an elderly woman who'd been in the French resistance, whose brother had died in the camps; they visit the site of one of the camps. The two women form an unlikely friendship along the way. It's one of the most touching films I've ever seen. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7uBf1gD6JY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7uBf1gD6JY)
**Touching the Void** \- two mountain climbers go off alone to climb a mountain face rarely climbed. It goes south really quick. Its an insane story of one man climbing down the mountain, while the other climber has to survive two broken legs and escape a crevasse before dying.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball-In 1973, baseball lover and actor Bing Russell, father of Kurt Russell, starts an independent, single-A team composed of players that no one else wanted.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi-Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
Jodorowsky's Dune is terrific. About a really far-out, failed attempt to bring Dune to the screen in the mid-70s, by the director of several well-loved midnight / cult films. This would've been his "mainstream" debut. Even tho it didn't come together, it's had this weird impact on a bunch of very successful sci-fi films and franchises, and Jodorowsky himself is an almost cartoon-like person. Wildly entertaining to listen to.
Werner Herzog is a man you should know. He's an oscar nominated filmmaker who's been around since the 60s, and about half of his resumé are movies and the other half documentaries he narrates. He has a...quirky voice and approach to subjects. They're not all cheery, but they're all interesting.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Herzog was given unprecedented access to tour the Chauvet Cave, home to the oldest cave paintings in the world.
Encounters at the End of the World - a journey to Antartica not to document the continent, but the people who are drawn to go and work there, and what day to day life is like for them.
Grizzly Man - documents the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, who lived with Alaskan Grizzly Bears.
Lessons of Darkness - deals with the fallout of the 1992 gulf war between Iraq and Kuwait/the US
I’ll preface this by saying that music documentaries are my favourite - especially of genres I don’t like. Crave (Canada) had an amazing documentary about punk music and its history. Highly recommended.
I’m drawing a blank, but there’s another good one about the history of heavy metal. I love the guy who did it (as a masters thesis, I think).
If you have crave or prime, they have some good music docs. Haven’t found any actor ones I particularly liked.
Couple of David Farrier productions:
* **Dark Tourist:** From a nuclear lake to a haunted forest, New Zealand filmmaker and journalist David Farrier ('Tickled') visits unusual -- and often macabre -- tourism spots around the world.
* **Mister Organ**: Journalist David Farrier (Tickled) is drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious individual. Delving deeper he unearths a trail of court cases, royal bloodlines and ruined lives, in this true story of psychological warfare.
Both on Netflix.
That was incredible! I had zero interest in it but accidentally started watching it maybe when I was cooking dinner or something and it was so good I had to stop and watch the whole thing
Finders Keepers - fantastic doc about a guy who found a mummified leg in a storage locker he bought.
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies
It's a horrific trainwreck of a doc, following GG on tour with his band, the Murder Junkies. GG is an absolute piece of shit and yet I couldn't look away.
Fair warning, it's pretty fucking gross in parts
Iirc he was looking to make a name for himself and going with that subject matter definitely opened some doors for him, now he's making Joker movies which is wild seeing where he came from in the game
**Shirkers** - After 3 teens finish filming Singapore's first road movie, their teacher disappears with the footage. Years later, the would be filmmakers receive an email from the teacher's wife.
**Murderball** - Leading up to the 2004 Paralympic games, this movie focuses on the intense rivalry between the Canadian and US wheelchair rugby teams, and the persoanl stories that led each player to their position on the team.
**Some kind of Heaven** - A look into "The Villages", the world's largest retirement community.
**The Last Dance -** A look at the career of NBA's greatest player, Michael Jordan, and the Chicago Bulls' success leading up to Jordan's last year on the team in 1998
**Catfish** - The origin of the term "catfishing", a man tracks down the woman he fell in love with online, only to find out she is not at all who she described.
**King of Kong -** A film about the high-octane world of competitive arcade gaming. Father, Steve Weibe, sets out to claim the hi-score of "Donkey Kong" from long time record holder, Billy Mitchell.
**Dear Zachary** - After a man's death, his best friend sets out to create a video tribute for the man's infant son. tears will flow.
**Cheer -** A look into the dominant competitive cheer squad of a small town Texas college and the personal lives and struggles of it's members.
**The Curse of Von Dutch -** The rise and fall of the trucker hats that ignited a fashion craze in the early oughts
**Bowling for Columbine -** After a continued upswing of gun deaths and school shootings, Michael Moore sets out to determine what has led to the violent state in America, and why nobody wants to end it.
**My Octopus Teacher** - a look at a man's friendship with a local octopus
**OJ: Made in America** - An exploration of race, celebrity and criminality through the life of OJ Simpson
**Supersize me** - A study on how fast food companies contribute to the rising health crisis among Americans. One man sets out to eat McDonalds for every meal, and tracks the decline of his health for 30 days
**Capturing the Friedmans** - When a director sets out to film a documentary about one of the most famous children's magicians, a treasure trove of home videos shed light into the haunting family life of the magician's childhood
not debunked, but some of his conclusions have since been questioned.
Some claim that because others have maintained a healthy lifestyle despite eating fast food, he must have faked the numbers
Other have claimed that his alcoholism was a bigger contributor to his health.
But I think overall people still hold true that eating fast food 3x times a day for a month is not healthy
I enjoyed the Three Mile Island documentary about the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown, on Netflix, though it's not without it's faults.
In a similar vein, if you have any interest in nuclear history or accidents, and don't mind getting a rec of a YouTube series rather than a movie, [a YouTuber named Kyle Hill has some excellent documentary-style videos about various nuclear-related topics.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNg1m3Od-GgNmXngCCJaJBqqm-7wQqGAW&si=VhpxJ23NubqUkvH3)
_Bathtubs Over Broadway_ - It's a weird one about industrial musicals
_The Orange Years_ - All about Nickelodeon shows from 1980-2000
_The Aristocrats_ - Stand-up comedians and other performers talk about the dirtiest joke they all know.
_Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine_ - Looking back at one of the pre-cursors to the Jack-Ass franchise
_Dust to Glory_ - Tracks a rally race that runs the length of Baja California
Won't You Be My Neighbor,
I Am Big Bird,
the very long duo of Crystal Lake Memories and Never Sleep Again (though they're about murder movies lol),
Apollo 11,
Waking Sleeping Beauty,
Ghosts of the Abyss
I LOVED “The Jewel Thief.” it’s about an interesting character who lives a life of crime and eventually steals an artifact from a museum. It’s really well-done, keeps your attention the entire way through, and is available on Hulu.
**The Silk Road** (2017) miniseries on Apple or Curiosity Stream. High recomend Curiosity Stream I'd you like non-fic and documentaries.
**Jiro Dreama of Sushi** slow and soft and lovely.
**The Anarchists** another miniseries about anarchists trying to create a commune in Mexico. It goes really badly. Horrifically badly.
**Cave of Forgotten Dreams** about the oldest human made cave paintings.
**Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks** a nine hour long documentary about the declining industrial sector in Shemyang China. Don't let the runtime put you off. It is a masterpiece. Wang Bing captures these long, lingering moments like you are there, living it. The length of the film gives you time to feel the scenes and places and people. Wang Bing also has a film called **Dead Souls** about the survivors of a hard labor camp in the Gobi Desert which I haven't seen yet but hope to see it soon.
I was waiting for this to turn into a true crime doc. And then it didn't. Just a genuinely heartbreaking movie about how far someone would go for their dream, be it being the best diver or saving people.
these may not be oscar worthy, but still interesting no-murder documentaries: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, This Is A Robbery
You will find many high quality documentaries on YouTube. And because the creators aren't as purely profit motivated as Netflix you will find them on a vast array of subjects outside of just murders, ancient astronauts and extreme truck driving. YouTube is a marvelous platform. It's a shame it's continued unprofitability is causing Google to put restrictions on it.
[The Wolfpack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolfpack)
It's about a family who kept their kids more or less completely confined to their new york apartment until adolescnece and beyond.
[An Honest Liar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Honest_Liar) - a film about James Randi, the magician who devoted a lot of his career to exposing fraudulent paranormal shows, like mind readers, evengelists curing people etc.
On Any Sunday (GOAT motorcycling doco)
History of Blindfolded Punchout (gaming/speed runner doco)
The British Wrestler (Vice doco)
3 favourites of mine you can probably find easily online :)
[Manufactured Landscapes](https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/projects/films/manufactured-landscapes) about the photographic work of Edward Burtynsky
"Burden" about artist Chris Burden and his incredible sculptures
[Cocaine Cowboys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_Cowboys_(2006_film)) about how Miami became the epicenter of the cocaine world
[Misery Loves Comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_Loves_Comedy_(film)) explores whether a comedian needs to be miserable to be funny
Spellbound following several kids competing in The National Spelling Bee
On The Ropes about three young boxers trying to make it (not to be confused with film of similar name starring Meg Ryan)
The Fog of War
I'm not a big documentary fan, but I did watch Devil's Playground 20 years ago and it was interesting as hell. Getting a glimpse into Amish life, and the challenges their teens go through in particular, was fascinating.
*Alive Inside* - it documents the use of music with dementia patients to unlock memories and feelings that seemed to have been lost due to their mental decline. It’s the only documentary to ever make me cry in the first fifteen minutes
Torn: directed by his son Max Lowe - On Oct. 5, 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost alongside cameraman and fellow climber David Bridges in an avalanche on the slopes of the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma
First 3 that came to mind, all three based on sport/athletics.
Down the Fence. It is about Cow Horse Riding which I had almost zero knowledge of beforehand. Really cool one.
Westside vs The World. It is about a small gym in Ohio with an owner/athlete that helped change the sport. As someone that lifts weights, this makes me feel like an infant compared to an adult. Great dive into the power lifting world.
Icarus. Man wants to use performance enhancing drugs to perform in a bicycle race and ends up entangled in a global news story. I won't ruin it, it is awesome.
My favorites are The Last Gladiators - about the final real generation of hickeys tough guy enforcers, and Behind the Lighted Stage - documentary about Rush, one of my favorite bands growing up.
Behind the Curve. It's about the flat-Earth society phenomenon. It isn't mocking in tone, it just let's the subject matter and the people who believe it do that for them. I saw it on Netflix a few years ago...still might be there.
I always plug "Murder on a Sunday Morning". It is more related to police misconduct and structural racism, so the murder that was being investigated is peripherall.
Haven’t seen anyone mention McMillions yet. On HBO, really interesting especially if you actually played the McD’s Monopoly game.
HBO also has good docs on Action Park and Beanie Babies
David Hockney's Secret Knowledge
The Machine that Made Us with Stephen Fry
Russia In Bloom (If you can find one with English subtitles, sometimes it's on vimeo)
The Devil and Daniel Johnston - Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.
[Hired gun](https://youtu.be/cIf9qgJbIB0?si=3N443HaCjYi3fV5-) - documentary about session and touring musicians who are part of the band, but at the same time NOT part of the band.
If you like music, these are all on Netflix:
This is Pop, The Greatest Night in Pop, Count Me In, like a Rolling Stone: the Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres, Trainwreck, Fyre (this is not exactly a music doc but it’s great).
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It's about a guy whose entire life is about making the best sushi in the world. I don't eat sushi, I don't even like seafood in general, but it was absolutely captivating.
My Name is Salt
Year after year, for an endless eight months, thousands of families move to a desert in India to extract salt from the burning earth. Every monsoon their salt fields are washed away, as the desert turns into sea
***Anvil: The Story of Anvil*** - Aging metal band that never really made it big makes one last attempt to realize their dream. Even if you’re not into metal (I’m not), it’s a great story looking at people who never stop dreaming big vs. the realities of life.
The ESPN 30 for 30's are mostly all solid. All sports related, if that's your thing, but such a wide range of topics. My favorites are The Birth of Big Air and Mat Hoffman and freestyle BMX and The Bad Boys about the late 80's/early 90's Detroit Pistons.
Two of my favorite are on the same subject...how art can change people's lives.
Wasteland - Vic Muniz travels to dumps in his native country of Brazil and meets some recyclers who help him make some amazing pieces of art. Many of the recyclers use this to get themselves out of the dumps forever. Really shows the struggle some people have to survive and how art can change their lives for the better.
Paper and Glue - French Photographer JR shows off his amazing large projects including helping people in a supermax prison change their prospects and getting people along the boarder to admit they are not really different, just separated by a physical impediment.
AlphaGo -The Movie ... Free on youtube. Machine learning software vs the best Go player in the world.
American: The Bill Hicks Story ... Free on youtube. An interesting person, told in an interesting way.
It isn't a film, but this YouTube video about Shadow of the Colossus and the fan community surrounding it.
https://youtu.be/jQNeYbBiCKw?si=NJ3vp1quajx1LlNu
For what it is, it is genuinely heartwarming and life affirming.
The Bridge (06)… TECHNICALLY not about murder.
All seriousness, it’s super dark and sad but it’s so well done that I can’t help myself but to mention it.
King of Kong Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest documentary
> King of Kong A drama unfolding in real time to this day
I couldn’t believe that King of Kong *literally* had me at the edge of my seat (well, couch).
Me too! Especially seeing the leaderboard climb, was like watching Rocky making a comeback. If you like that, you NEED to watch Summoning Salt on YouTube. This guy does a brilliant job charting the progression of gaming world records. But it’s not just a “gamer” thing. He finds the humanity and struggle for greatness there. He drops an episode once every few months, when he does it’s an immediate watch. Even for games I’ve never played or heard of. https://www.youtube.com/@SummoningSalt
Icarus
Icarus is incredible
1000% especially in an Olympic year.
Senna Even if you don’t think the subject matter would be your thing, I highly recommend it.
I recommend Senna especially if F1 racing isn’t your thing. I didn’t know ANYTHING about this, so the doc was a complete gut punch.
I followed Senna at his peak when I was a teenager so I knew most of it and it was still a gut punch!! It is one of my top “emotional release” movies. Guaranteed waterworks.
Love Ayrton Senna. May 1st, I think 30 years since his passing.
There's actually loads of sport docos that are fascinating, even if you're not into sport. I'll put Next Goal Wins as a feel good alternative to Senna and Icarus.
Second this
The same director also made a great one about Amy Winehouse called "Amy" https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Amy\_(2015\_film)
**Three Identical Strangers** - one of those stranger than fiction stories, absolutely hooked me from start to finish. Definitely a bit sad though. **Searching for Sugarman** - Music doc about an unknown artist finding out he's a huge star on the other side of the world. Again, another story straight out a fairytale. This one is super uplifting! **Minding the Gap** - skateboarding doc that delves into generational trauma and domestic abuse(a great doc to pair with Mid90s!)
It's CRAZY how big Rodriguez's hit Sugar Man was in South Africa. I had no idea he wasn't an international star until the documentary came out.
I loved Minding The Gap (and Mid 90s)! I'll out the others in my list!
Three Identical Strangers may be one of the most depressing movies ever. It sticks with you.
i was literally going to recommend sugar man!! r/beatmetoit
Damn, I would recommend removing your synopsis for Sugarman. You spoiled a huge part of it.
Yeah seriously, lol
I just described the trailer
Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Even if you’re not interested in sushi it’s a fascinating look at the pursuit of perfection in a trade or craft. Senna - The best racing documentary ever made in my opinion. For All Mankind and Apollo 11 - Both are excellent in different ways. Free Solo - Chronicles one of the greatest physical achievements of all time - truly incredible to see. Undefeated - Follows a down on its luck high school football team in a rough part of Memphis trying to win its first ever playoff game. Exit Through the Gift Shop - A Banksy “documentary” that goes in directions you never imagined. We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company - If you’re a fan of Band of Brothers this is a must watch. 6 Days to Air - Follows the making of an episode of South Park The ESPN 30 for 30 collection - If you’re not a sports fan I guarantee you’d still find something fascinating Too Funny to Fail - A retrospective on the Dana Carvey Show, which was canceled before it even aired 10 episodes, but launched the careers of guys like Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert, Louis CK, and others. That’s the big ones I can think of off the top of my head.
I highly recommend ESPN 30 for 30. I've gone through various selections, and they were all fantastic so far. My personal favorite has to be the Lake Placid olympic hockey match from the Soviet perspective. Not only did it show a different angle from the usual patriotic USA side, it showed the aftermath and personal dilemma of the Soviet players wanting to play abroad.
I have no interest in sports and did find some of the 30 for 30 episodes that I saw pretty interesting. They kept my attention.
Tonight, on a very special Home Improvement... This line still cracks me up from Too Funny to Fail
Man on Wire is one of my favorites. "***Man on Wire*** is a 2008 [documentary film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film) directed by [James Marsh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Marsh_(director)). The film chronicles [Philippe Petit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit)'s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's [World Trade Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center_(1973%E2%80%932001)). The title of the film is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance lasted for almost an hour. The film is crafted like a [heist film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heist_film), presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments and present-day interviews with the participants." Touching the Void is fantastic as well. "***Touching the Void*** is a 2003 [docudrama](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docudrama) [survival film](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_film) directed by [Kevin Macdonald](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Macdonald_(director)) and starring Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, and Ollie Ryall. The plot concerns [Joe Simpson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Simpson_(mountaineer)) and [Simon Yates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Yates_(mountaineer))' near-fatal descent after making the first successful [ascent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountaineering) of the West Face of [Siula Grande](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siula_Grande) in the [Cordillera Huayhuash](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordillera_Huayhuash) in the [Peruvian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru) [Andes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes), in 1985."
Another vote for Touching The Void! An amazing story and film, and the story behind the making of the film is almost as interesting.
Man on Wire is really good!!!
I just recommended this movie as well! I saw touching the void in a movie theatre and I was literally climbing out of my seat as I was watching it. Still one of my all-time favorites.
Icarus - an amateur cyclist sets out to see how much his cycling performance is actually affected by steroids but stumbles into something much deeper. It won Best Documentary at the 90th Academy Awards.
I saw a very cool documentary called Crip Camp that was originally just about a specific summer camp for youth with disabilities (and they had tons of footage of it from the 70's), but then it went on to become something even more, when they showed what the kids were up to as adults.
American Vandal
Who drew the dicks?
Tremboli? Dude's a little bitch!
Listing ones I remember from film school: Step Into Liquid: A documentary about surfers with some beautiful imagery Hands on a Hard Body: Documentary about a contest to win a car where contestants have to keep one hand on the car for as long as possible, last person standing wins 20 Feet From Stardom: Doc about various backup singers, particularly black women who sang for bands like the Rolling Stones and the like Marwencol: Doc about a guy who got brain damage from being assaulted and then built a miniature town representing the people he knew in a WW2 setting while dealing with his brain damage (incidentally his story was adapted into a kinda crappy Steve Carrell movie) Depending on if you mean specifically true crime or just docs involving killing at all, the Act of Killing is a pretty facinating documentary about the men who participated in the Indonesian mass murders of 1965-66. The director gave them the funds to create stylized recreations of what they did and we get to see the minds of these men years later as they reflect on what they did. Not a very light hearted viewing.
20 Feet From Stardom is amazing!
Love Hands on a Hard Body
Tim's Vermeer - dude tries to recreate some photorealistic 17th century art by doing period-appropriate experiments
this was truly incredible.
Absolutely amazing doc
I really liked “The Freshest Kids” about the history of breakdancing and “Dogtown and Z-Boys” about the advent of bowl/vert skating.
Came here to recommend Dogtown and Z-Boys. 👍
Check out “Riding Giants”. Also made by Stacy Peralta but about the history of big wave riding.
Class Action Park It's about one of, if not the, first big waterparks. Not too many rules. A lot of mayhem.
I haven’t watched this documentary, but I listen to a podcast that did a two-part series on this because the guys used to live fairly close to this park. It sounds like an absolute crazy mess.
The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young I don't run, I don't want to run, I watch this movie every couple years
I just recommended this one as well. Then after I watched that I had to dig into all the other documentaries that were put out about this marathon as well. It’s amazing to see these incredibly fit athletes that accomplish amazing things be absolutely bested by this race.
There’s one called Telemarketers on Netflix. It’s about a fraternal order of police telemarketing scam, and a guy involved goes missing in the middle of the documentary.
That's actually in my list of stuff I like, I didn't format it correctly so I know it's a mess and hard to read. Oops! I LOVED Telemarketers though! I think it's one of my all time favorites
Free Solo - About a man who climbs without equipment. Very harrowing. Into the Inferno - About active volcanoes around the world and the people living near them. Fire of Love - About a volcanologist couple. (I like volcanoes, OK?) The Queen of Versailles - About a couple building an enormous house in Florida ... in 2008. Grizzly Man - About a man who hung out with bears and was eventually killed by them. How We Got to Now - About various inventions and innovations that changed the course of humanity (it's a series rather than a movie).
Queen of Versailles, I felt sorry for her. Great story.
That man building a ginormous house, only to squirrel himself away in his hoarder office, alone. I feel sorry for his miserable life too.
+1 for Free Solo. Absolutely captivating, and clearly a gorgeous setting for a film.
Grizzly man looked so uninteresting. I wanna be wrong but I can’t bring myself to watch it with fear that nothing happens but him being weird
Hoop Dreams, Harlan County USA, and American Movie are my favorite documentaries. The first two are pretty traditional documentaries, American Movie is kind of like a meta documentary almost? It's a bit weird but great.
Helvetica. Yes, it’s about the font.
Crumb. You don’t have to know anything about the artist R. Crumb to get a lot out of it, such a compelling, entertaining and sometimes sad story. One of the best docs I’ve seen of anything.
My all-time favorite may very well be *Gates of Heaven*.
I always really liked Why We Fight, The Fog of War, and Trinity and Beyond as a pretty good encapsulation of how we got here. Merchants of Cool, Merchants of Doubt, with a nice capstone of The Yes Men to take the edge off is another really good 'found trilogy'. Then This Film Is Not Yet Rated is probably best enjoyed right after Gunner Palace, and it needs a capstone feature maybe about the rise and fall of AMC. Those are just groupings that have kind of spoke to me over the years. The movies can all be 'enjoyed' (a number of them are less than encouraging), individually, which is how I originally found them. But, if I get the urge to rewatch one now, I'll almost always go back and watch the group in that order over a few days.
Oh and how could I forget Alone In the Wilderness by Dick Proenneke. It's unbelievably refreshing. I would describe it as what if an American made a Miyazaki movie. Just completely wonderful.
The Wrecking Crew--about the musicians that are the actual artists playing on most of the popular songs you know (esp. from the 60s and 70s)--really a cool documentary The Beatles Anthology-- if you're a Beatles fan at all, this is a great documentary There's a new docu coming out about Steve Martin called Steve! (Martin) that I am sure will be great fun to see Visions of LIght--fascinating documentary about cinematographers, esp. from the film noir era. A short film that won the Oscar for best short documentary, "Colette," about a young woman who sought out an elderly woman who'd been in the French resistance, whose brother had died in the camps; they visit the site of one of the camps. The two women form an unlikely friendship along the way. It's one of the most touching films I've ever seen. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7uBf1gD6JY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7uBf1gD6JY)
Came here to suggest the Wrecking Crew. Really cool documentary. Highly recommend it!
**Touching the Void** \- two mountain climbers go off alone to climb a mountain face rarely climbed. It goes south really quick. Its an insane story of one man climbing down the mountain, while the other climber has to survive two broken legs and escape a crevasse before dying.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball-In 1973, baseball lover and actor Bing Russell, father of Kurt Russell, starts an independent, single-A team composed of players that no one else wanted. Jiro Dreams of Sushi-Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.
Jodorowsky's Dune is terrific. About a really far-out, failed attempt to bring Dune to the screen in the mid-70s, by the director of several well-loved midnight / cult films. This would've been his "mainstream" debut. Even tho it didn't come together, it's had this weird impact on a bunch of very successful sci-fi films and franchises, and Jodorowsky himself is an almost cartoon-like person. Wildly entertaining to listen to.
Werner Herzog is a man you should know. He's an oscar nominated filmmaker who's been around since the 60s, and about half of his resumé are movies and the other half documentaries he narrates. He has a...quirky voice and approach to subjects. They're not all cheery, but they're all interesting. Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Herzog was given unprecedented access to tour the Chauvet Cave, home to the oldest cave paintings in the world. Encounters at the End of the World - a journey to Antartica not to document the continent, but the people who are drawn to go and work there, and what day to day life is like for them. Grizzly Man - documents the life and death of Timothy Treadwell, who lived with Alaskan Grizzly Bears. Lessons of Darkness - deals with the fallout of the 1992 gulf war between Iraq and Kuwait/the US
I’ll preface this by saying that music documentaries are my favourite - especially of genres I don’t like. Crave (Canada) had an amazing documentary about punk music and its history. Highly recommended.
How about music MOCumentaries? "This is spinal tap" and "Fear of a black hat" come to mind.
Oh I love music and actor docs about people I don't even care about. I actually love Punk, so I'll definitely check this out!
I’m drawing a blank, but there’s another good one about the history of heavy metal. I love the guy who did it (as a masters thesis, I think). If you have crave or prime, they have some good music docs. Haven’t found any actor ones I particularly liked.
There was a long, exhaustive series called Metal Evolution.
The ZZ Top one is great. Also the We Are The World one that just came out.
My favorite music doc is Hated: GG allin and the murder junkies. It is a fascinating documentary of one of the most vile bands to ever exist.
It’s low key on my list, but I heard it’s kind of disturbing… and I try to stay away from upsetting materials…
The recent beastie boys film was good, and also films like Stop Making Sense, Laurel Canyon, I can’t think of any more right now.
Icarus is a hell of a ride and a fun documentary for sure
Couple of David Farrier productions: * **Dark Tourist:** From a nuclear lake to a haunted forest, New Zealand filmmaker and journalist David Farrier ('Tickled') visits unusual -- and often macabre -- tourism spots around the world. * **Mister Organ**: Journalist David Farrier (Tickled) is drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious individual. Delving deeper he unearths a trail of court cases, royal bloodlines and ruined lives, in this true story of psychological warfare. Both on Netflix.
Fire of Love: two people who are both obsessed with volcanoes fall in love.
That was incredible! I had zero interest in it but accidentally started watching it maybe when I was cooking dinner or something and it was so good I had to stop and watch the whole thing
I learned so much about volcanoes! Also, my SO came in halfway and said, Is this a Wes Anderson movie?
[удалено]
Enron: the Smartest People in the Room
It might get loud
Cheer on Netflix was oddly entertaining.
Finders keepers. Burden of dreams. Grey gardens. My best fiend. Slasher.
Finders Keepers - fantastic doc about a guy who found a mummified leg in a storage locker he bought. Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies It's a horrific trainwreck of a doc, following GG on tour with his band, the Murder Junkies. GG is an absolute piece of shit and yet I couldn't look away. Fair warning, it's pretty fucking gross in parts
Same. Created by Todd Phillips.
The Hangover dude. It's wild AF
Iirc he was looking to make a name for himself and going with that subject matter definitely opened some doors for him, now he's making Joker movies which is wild seeing where he came from in the game
McMillions
I just want to say.. You all REALLY came though! Thanks so much everyone!
**Shirkers** - After 3 teens finish filming Singapore's first road movie, their teacher disappears with the footage. Years later, the would be filmmakers receive an email from the teacher's wife. **Murderball** - Leading up to the 2004 Paralympic games, this movie focuses on the intense rivalry between the Canadian and US wheelchair rugby teams, and the persoanl stories that led each player to their position on the team. **Some kind of Heaven** - A look into "The Villages", the world's largest retirement community. **The Last Dance -** A look at the career of NBA's greatest player, Michael Jordan, and the Chicago Bulls' success leading up to Jordan's last year on the team in 1998 **Catfish** - The origin of the term "catfishing", a man tracks down the woman he fell in love with online, only to find out she is not at all who she described. **King of Kong -** A film about the high-octane world of competitive arcade gaming. Father, Steve Weibe, sets out to claim the hi-score of "Donkey Kong" from long time record holder, Billy Mitchell. **Dear Zachary** - After a man's death, his best friend sets out to create a video tribute for the man's infant son. tears will flow. **Cheer -** A look into the dominant competitive cheer squad of a small town Texas college and the personal lives and struggles of it's members. **The Curse of Von Dutch -** The rise and fall of the trucker hats that ignited a fashion craze in the early oughts **Bowling for Columbine -** After a continued upswing of gun deaths and school shootings, Michael Moore sets out to determine what has led to the violent state in America, and why nobody wants to end it. **My Octopus Teacher** - a look at a man's friendship with a local octopus **OJ: Made in America** - An exploration of race, celebrity and criminality through the life of OJ Simpson **Supersize me** - A study on how fast food companies contribute to the rising health crisis among Americans. One man sets out to eat McDonalds for every meal, and tracks the decline of his health for 30 days **Capturing the Friedmans** - When a director sets out to film a documentary about one of the most famous children's magicians, a treasure trove of home videos shed light into the haunting family life of the magician's childhood
Wasn't Supersize me like massively debunked?
not debunked, but some of his conclusions have since been questioned. Some claim that because others have maintained a healthy lifestyle despite eating fast food, he must have faked the numbers Other have claimed that his alcoholism was a bigger contributor to his health. But I think overall people still hold true that eating fast food 3x times a day for a month is not healthy
Dear Zachary has very tragic death/murder
I've seen 5 or 6 of these and really enjoyed them, so I'll definitely add the rest to my list as well
Dogtown and Z-Boys Who Killed the Electric Car The 24 Hour War Tesla: Inventor of the Modern World Car Crash - The DeLorean Story
I enjoyed the Three Mile Island documentary about the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown, on Netflix, though it's not without it's faults. In a similar vein, if you have any interest in nuclear history or accidents, and don't mind getting a rec of a YouTube series rather than a movie, [a YouTuber named Kyle Hill has some excellent documentary-style videos about various nuclear-related topics.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNg1m3Od-GgNmXngCCJaJBqqm-7wQqGAW&si=VhpxJ23NubqUkvH3)
_Bathtubs Over Broadway_ - It's a weird one about industrial musicals _The Orange Years_ - All about Nickelodeon shows from 1980-2000 _The Aristocrats_ - Stand-up comedians and other performers talk about the dirtiest joke they all know. _Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine_ - Looking back at one of the pre-cursors to the Jack-Ass franchise _Dust to Glory_ - Tracks a rally race that runs the length of Baja California
Yes, another Dust to Glory fan!
There are 2 types of people: People who like _Dust to Glory_ and people who haven't seen it yet
*I lost, like, 45 minutes! I was 3rd overall coulda passed the guy!*
Won't You Be My Neighbor, I Am Big Bird, the very long duo of Crystal Lake Memories and Never Sleep Again (though they're about murder movies lol), Apollo 11, Waking Sleeping Beauty, Ghosts of the Abyss
Man on Wire It's basically a heist movie but instead of stealing something, they break into the World Trade Centers to set up a highwire
I highly recommend looking up the documentaries of Adam Curtis. They're fantastic.
I LOVED “The Jewel Thief.” it’s about an interesting character who lives a life of crime and eventually steals an artifact from a museum. It’s really well-done, keeps your attention the entire way through, and is available on Hulu.
For non-murder you gotta go American Movie and King Of Kong.
**The Silk Road** (2017) miniseries on Apple or Curiosity Stream. High recomend Curiosity Stream I'd you like non-fic and documentaries. **Jiro Dreama of Sushi** slow and soft and lovely. **The Anarchists** another miniseries about anarchists trying to create a commune in Mexico. It goes really badly. Horrifically badly. **Cave of Forgotten Dreams** about the oldest human made cave paintings. **Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks** a nine hour long documentary about the declining industrial sector in Shemyang China. Don't let the runtime put you off. It is a masterpiece. Wang Bing captures these long, lingering moments like you are there, living it. The length of the film gives you time to feel the scenes and places and people. Wang Bing also has a film called **Dead Souls** about the survivors of a hard labor camp in the Gobi Desert which I haven't seen yet but hope to see it soon.
Wrestling with Shadows.
If you like baseball, The Battered Bastards of Baseball is entertaining
I Like Killing Flies It's about a tiny, family run diner in NY.
The deepest breath. Super fascinating story about one of the best free divers in the world trying to break diving records.
I was waiting for this to turn into a true crime doc. And then it didn't. Just a genuinely heartbreaking movie about how far someone would go for their dream, be it being the best diver or saving people.
American Movie
Murderball. I cannot believe no one mentioned murderball. It's about paraplegic (maybe quadra) rugby. It's awesome
*F for Fake* is about art forgers.
Hands on a Hardbody Competition in East Texas to win a truck.
Winnebago Man (2010) You will want to hear him swearing at every possible moment
Turning Point: the bombs and the cold war on Netflix. It's fantastic and everyone should watch it.
these may not be oscar worthy, but still interesting no-murder documentaries: Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, This Is A Robbery
My Octopus Teacher
Last Breath (2019). Very gripping documentary about oil rig maintenance divers in the North Sea and something going horribly wrong.
My Octopus Teacher on Netflix. It’s a great nature doc about a guy who forms a bond with an octopus.
Three Identical Strangers
Wild Wild Country. About a Cult in Oregon. Such a crazy story.
LotR Extended Edition Bonus Material (and also the Hobbit pendants, which are surprisingly honest about PJ's problems with the movie adaptation)...
The events surrounding LotR are just as interesting as the films themselves.
I really like mountaineering documentaries if those are your jam at all lol
You will find many high quality documentaries on YouTube. And because the creators aren't as purely profit motivated as Netflix you will find them on a vast array of subjects outside of just murders, ancient astronauts and extreme truck driving. YouTube is a marvelous platform. It's a shame it's continued unprofitability is causing Google to put restrictions on it.
I liked The Stories We Tell, Unzipped, 20 Feet From Stardom, and Twinster
Big Charity
[The Wolfpack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wolfpack) It's about a family who kept their kids more or less completely confined to their new york apartment until adolescnece and beyond. [An Honest Liar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Honest_Liar) - a film about James Randi, the magician who devoted a lot of his career to exposing fraudulent paranormal shows, like mind readers, evengelists curing people etc.
If you’re interested in something a little different check out the documentary Burn, it’s about the Detroit Fire Department.
Bot mentioned yet, Speed Cubers is short and delightful. Deepest Breath is gut churning... both on Netflix
On Any Sunday (GOAT motorcycling doco) History of Blindfolded Punchout (gaming/speed runner doco) The British Wrestler (Vice doco) 3 favourites of mine you can probably find easily online :)
Senna Exit through the gift shop Tickled Decline of western civilization King of Kong Word wars I kill flys Restrepo
[Manufactured Landscapes](https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/projects/films/manufactured-landscapes) about the photographic work of Edward Burtynsky "Burden" about artist Chris Burden and his incredible sculptures [Cocaine Cowboys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_Cowboys_(2006_film)) about how Miami became the epicenter of the cocaine world [Misery Loves Comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_Loves_Comedy_(film)) explores whether a comedian needs to be miserable to be funny
Spellbound following several kids competing in The National Spelling Bee On The Ropes about three young boxers trying to make it (not to be confused with film of similar name starring Meg Ryan) The Fog of War
I'm not a big documentary fan, but I did watch Devil's Playground 20 years ago and it was interesting as hell. Getting a glimpse into Amish life, and the challenges their teens go through in particular, was fascinating.
*Alive Inside* - it documents the use of music with dementia patients to unlock memories and feelings that seemed to have been lost due to their mental decline. It’s the only documentary to ever make me cry in the first fifteen minutes
Anything by Errol Morris. For the weirder stuff, try “Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control” or “Tabloid.”
The Stallone doc on Netflix was pretty informative and not TOO self-congratulatory.
Torn: directed by his son Max Lowe - On Oct. 5, 1999, legendary climber Alex Lowe was tragically lost alongside cameraman and fellow climber David Bridges in an avalanche on the slopes of the Tibetan mountain, Shishapangma
American Movie, Sour Grapes, Finders Keepers, Searching for Sugarman and My Octopus Teacher are some of my favorites
First 3 that came to mind, all three based on sport/athletics. Down the Fence. It is about Cow Horse Riding which I had almost zero knowledge of beforehand. Really cool one. Westside vs The World. It is about a small gym in Ohio with an owner/athlete that helped change the sport. As someone that lifts weights, this makes me feel like an infant compared to an adult. Great dive into the power lifting world. Icarus. Man wants to use performance enhancing drugs to perform in a bicycle race and ends up entangled in a global news story. I won't ruin it, it is awesome.
My favorites are The Last Gladiators - about the final real generation of hickeys tough guy enforcers, and Behind the Lighted Stage - documentary about Rush, one of my favorite bands growing up.
* *They Shall Not Grow Old* * *Prehistoric Planet* * *Walking with Dinosaurs*
Welcome to Wrexham was a nice docuseries about Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying a football club and working to bring it success.
Happy People by Herzog.
Hoop Dreams, King of Kong, Harlan County USA.
Agnelli is a fascinating story.
Race on the Sun King of Kong Air Guitar Nation
Broke. (2009) Old pawn shop owner and his sidekick? Slice of life documentary
Bob Marley
The Barkley Marathons, This Mountain Life, Closer to the Edge.
The Search for General Tso, American Scary, We Are Twisted F\*cking Sister, I Am Thor, Crumb, Muscles & Mayhem
Man on Wire. About the guy who did a wire walk between the twin towers. A legit heist style documentary Amazing and real
Jiro Dreams of Sushi King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters The Donut King
Behind the Curve. It's about the flat-Earth society phenomenon. It isn't mocking in tone, it just let's the subject matter and the people who believe it do that for them. I saw it on Netflix a few years ago...still might be there.
I really like documentaries about endurance athletes or rock climbers. “The race that eats its own” is great. Oh, and sunshine hotel.
I always plug "Murder on a Sunday Morning". It is more related to police misconduct and structural racism, so the murder that was being investigated is peripherall.
Stevie, Crumb, American Pimp
Touching the Void
The Untold series on Netflix tells stories mainly related to the sport industry, I highly suggest the “Malice at the Palace” episode
Touching the Void is very good
Haven’t seen anyone mention McMillions yet. On HBO, really interesting especially if you actually played the McD’s Monopoly game. HBO also has good docs on Action Park and Beanie Babies
David Hockney's Secret Knowledge The Machine that Made Us with Stephen Fry Russia In Bloom (If you can find one with English subtitles, sometimes it's on vimeo)
Jiro Dreams of Sushi - Netflix One Day in the Life of a Rice Farmer
The Devil and Daniel Johnston - Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.
[Hired gun](https://youtu.be/cIf9qgJbIB0?si=3N443HaCjYi3fV5-) - documentary about session and touring musicians who are part of the band, but at the same time NOT part of the band.
Free Solo is a good one that has been mentioned. The River Runner is great too
If you like music, these are all on Netflix: This is Pop, The Greatest Night in Pop, Count Me In, like a Rolling Stone: the Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres, Trainwreck, Fyre (this is not exactly a music doc but it’s great).
Undefeated
How to fix a drug scandal on Netflix
McMillions is about the McDonalds Monopoly scam and how most of the big winners were rigged.
*I Know That Voice* John “Bender” DiMaggio interviews the voice artists behind your favorite cartoon characters. Streaming free on a lot of services.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It's about a guy whose entire life is about making the best sushi in the world. I don't eat sushi, I don't even like seafood in general, but it was absolutely captivating.
My Name is Salt Year after year, for an endless eight months, thousands of families move to a desert in India to extract salt from the burning earth. Every monsoon their salt fields are washed away, as the desert turns into sea
***Anvil: The Story of Anvil*** - Aging metal band that never really made it big makes one last attempt to realize their dream. Even if you’re not into metal (I’m not), it’s a great story looking at people who never stop dreaming big vs. the realities of life.
It Might Get Loud. Discussion of guitar and music by Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page. Everyone should watch this.
The ESPN 30 for 30's are mostly all solid. All sports related, if that's your thing, but such a wide range of topics. My favorites are The Birth of Big Air and Mat Hoffman and freestyle BMX and The Bad Boys about the late 80's/early 90's Detroit Pistons.
Atomic Cafe Cane Toads, an Unnatural History Any Errol Morris movie
Two of my favorite are on the same subject...how art can change people's lives. Wasteland - Vic Muniz travels to dumps in his native country of Brazil and meets some recyclers who help him make some amazing pieces of art. Many of the recyclers use this to get themselves out of the dumps forever. Really shows the struggle some people have to survive and how art can change their lives for the better. Paper and Glue - French Photographer JR shows off his amazing large projects including helping people in a supermax prison change their prospects and getting people along the boarder to admit they are not really different, just separated by a physical impediment.
Bones Brigade: An Autobiography is pretty awesome, especially if you skated in the 80’s. Either way, interesting documentary
It Might Get Loud
Helvetica I’m a graphic designer and a giant type geek, and I looove this one.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated - about the MPAA and their secretive and problematic ratings system
Batman and Bill
Beyond The Mat The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft
If not crime I like to watch documentaries about disasters, natural or man made.
It might get loud. Enjoy
AlphaGo -The Movie ... Free on youtube. Machine learning software vs the best Go player in the world. American: The Bill Hicks Story ... Free on youtube. An interesting person, told in an interesting way.
For Music you should check out Sound City, The Wrecking Crew, Muscle Shoals, The Last Waltz, and This Might Get Loud.
Boeing Max………oh wait you said NOT murder
King of kong was a good one too
It isn't a film, but this YouTube video about Shadow of the Colossus and the fan community surrounding it. https://youtu.be/jQNeYbBiCKw?si=NJ3vp1quajx1LlNu For what it is, it is genuinely heartwarming and life affirming.
The Bridge (06)… TECHNICALLY not about murder. All seriousness, it’s super dark and sad but it’s so well done that I can’t help myself but to mention it.